Latinos fight for political recognition

Puffed with pride after casting 10 million votes in November that were vital to President Barack Obama’s election, Hispanics are feeling empowered to make great demands on the new president.

But as Hispanics look to Obama to help realize their agenda, and as they take seats in the new president’s Cabinet and on congressional leadership teams, they also are facing an annoying reality: There remains a gap between the power they have earned and the Washington elite’s perception of their power.

Chairwoman Nydia M. Velazquez (D-N.Y.)

One reason for the lag in perception may be that Latino policy leaders as well as individual members of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus have matured politically at a faster speed than has the caucus as a whole.

As the civil rights groups, political organizers and lawmakers have steered Latinos toward unprecedented levels of activism, the congressional caucus  haunted by past internal fighting and disorganization  is still being challenged to show that the sum of its parts makes it as strong as it should be.

The result is a continuing  albeit lessening  struggle for acknowledgment and places at key leadership tables.

During a recent ceremony for the Congressional Hispanic Caucus, its new head, House Small Business Committee Chairwoman Nydia M. Velazquez (D-N.Y.), pledged to her Latino colleagues, “I will work my heart out to make this Congressional Hispanic Caucus a force and a relevant institution.”

That anyone needs to be reminded of Latinos’ influence and the caucus’s relevance is almost mind-boggling to Latino civil rights and policy leaders. They often find themselves reciting the recent history: Hispanics have reached the highest levels of political leadership on Capitol Hill, and the exponential growth of the Hispanic population and voters during the past decade has made them a force to be reckoned with.

Just ask Republicans, whose dramatic loss of Hispanic support in the last election sent them into soul-searching political rehab.

Everyone’s Feeling Economic Pain, But It’s Hitting Minorities Worst of AllBy Valeria FernándezAs soon as he told her they wouldn’t be able to pay the mortgage, Ruben Loera’s wife’s heart clenched. She started packing away the angels and pulling down the paintings. Five months later and one step away from foreclosure, half-empty boxes are piled in a corner of the living room in their home in Maryvale, a suburb of Phoenix, Arizona.

Inauguration Inspires Hopes and DreamsBy Anthony D. AdvinculaEditor’s Note: More than a million people gathered in the nation’s capital to witness the historic swearing in of the 44th President of the United States. New York-based NAM editor Anthony Advincula spoke with people in the crowd, including several day laborers who took the day off to hear the speech.

Stories

Controversial Mega-Project on HoldFrontera NorteSurA massive port planned for Mexico’s Baja California Peninsula could be among the latest casualties of the world financial crisis. Luis Tellez, Mexico’s head of the Secretariat of Communications and Transportation (SCT), announced last week that authorities decided to postpone contract bidding for the construction of the Punta Colonet terminal slated for a remote section of the Baja Peninsula about 150 miles south of San Diego.

Immigrant Worker at Latino Inaugural Ball Shares Hopes for Obama EraBy Anthony D. AdvinculaWASHINGTON, D.C.  Maria Perez speaks little English. For more than 20 years now, she has worked as a cleaner at Union Station here, six days a week, earning slightly more than the minimum wage. She is proud to be among the millions of Latinos who voted for Barack Obama and helped to make him the 44th U.S. president.

Tenants of Foreclosed Homes Often Short-Changed by New OwnersBy Marc Whitham and Dolores Calderón LópezMany tenants are renting houses, condominiums or apartments they suspect or know are in danger of being taken back by the bank because the owners have not been making their payments. This process is known as foreclosure. Banks would not loan money to enable people to buy homes if the law did not make it simple for the bank to get the home back when the borrower stopped paying. Even though the law favors the bank, tenants caught in this situation have legal rights.

HUD Approves Chula Vista $2.8 Million Neighborhood Stabilization Plan Aimed at Foreclosed PropertiesThe U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) this week approved the City of Chula Vista’s $2.8 million plan aimed at reviving neighborhoods hit hard by foreclosures. Across the country, HUD’s Neighborhood Stabilization Program (NSP) is pumping federal dollars into those communities experiencing exceptionally high foreclosure problems and risk of property abandonment. Local governments have developed plans for spending the HUD dollars. This week nine California communities, including Chula Vista, were given the green light to move forward with their plans.

Five Steps to Becoming Physically ActiveBy Felice ChavezThe first step to becoming physically active is to find a physical activity that you will enjoy. Choose a physical activity that meets your skill level - walking, jogging, or climbing stairs are examples of activities that do not require new skills. Doing more of them will have an amazing impact on your health! If you do not like the first physical activity you try, then just try another one.

Editorial and Commentary

Guest Editorial:National City Council Appoints new Councilman!
South Africa Apartheid Type Politics?By Herman BacaOn Tuesday Mayor Ron Morrison and the National City (NC) coun-cil appointed Jess Van Deventer to fill Louie Natividad’s vacant council seat on a 3-1 vote. In a city where the minority population is Anglo (12%) and the majority (88%) is comprised of, Mexican (62%), Filipinos (16%), Afro-American (5%) and other ethnic groups, the vote (to me) was reminiscent of what existed from 1948 to1993 under South Africa’s apartheid system. Under apartheid, 10% of the white population (assisted by sellout paid blacks) governed 90% of the majority black population.

Commentary:Strengthening our Shared SecurityBy Vince VasquezThe raging Mexican drug war has churned a devastating toll in the city of Tijuana. As 2008 drew to a close, there had been a record 843 known homicides. As the recent wake of violence and corruption fails to roll back at the border’s edge, our municipal leaders are compelled to seek solutions to both protect the interests of San Diegans and help our neighbors in need.

TEZOZOMOC SPEAKS
Alcalde de National City, Ron Morrison didn’t give any weight to the recent election numbers where Mona Rios received the THIRD most votes. Morrison said weeks ago he wanted someone with experience when it comes to the appointment of filling Natividad’s vacant seat. Pregunta: Where does one go to get city council experience??? Morrison stacking the deck to get his man in: Jess Van Deventer

¡ASK A MEXICAN!By Gustavo ArellanoDear Mexican: I am a naturalized (legal) hispano in the U.S. and I just realized what the “illegal” craze is about. What immigrant-bashing citizens are trying to protect here are people like…me. Consider what this concerned a woman said to John McCain during a public meeting in New Hampshire last year. “I just think it’s not fair to all the people who came here legally and went through the process and now all the illegals, you’re just gonna give ‘em citizenship?” she said. “That’s not fair.” I have to say, I was moved. I came here legally, I went through the process and, you know what, I never cared whether the neighbor I buy my tamales from has his papers in order or not. Now I see why this woman wants to deport millions of people just like me. Because not doing so would be “unfair” for me. See, Mexican (I would say, Chicano), this concerns you, too. Anti-immigrant campaigns are made so people like yourigorously legal immigrantsare treated fairly. Any words of gratitude?

On the Roadshow with CheSoderbergh’s epic biopic recounts the life of one of the twentieth century’s most controversial figuresBy Gabriel San RomanThe eternal revolutionary nomad Ernesto “Che” Guevara is back on the road once more. The immense historical figure returns not on a motorcycle, nor a small, undersized yacht headed for the shores of an oversized history, but on the silver screen.

Hernández stars in family film “Hotel for Dogs”By Kiko MartinezHe may have only started taking acting lessons to get out of going to detention back in high school, but actor Maximiliano Hernández soon found himself attending the same theatrical classes even when he wasn’t getting in trouble.